


I'm Just Really Happy

by Lokiiwood



Series: Mystic Messenger Lost Days [5]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Fluff, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:56:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22084522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokiiwood/pseuds/Lokiiwood
Summary: The start of something new.You promptly sat down, enjoying the warmth of your dear friend pressed against you. Your eyes followed Vanderwood's hands and different shuffling techniques as the magic tricks that they were. Back and forth, always quick, always precise. Beautiful hands...A short alarm sent cheers and gasps from people's mouths. Only a few minutes left until midnight. Everyone quickly stood.
Relationships: Vanderwood (Mystic Messenger)/Reader, Vanderwood/Main Character (Mystic Messenger)
Series: Mystic Messenger Lost Days [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/976296
Comments: 3
Kudos: 59





	I'm Just Really Happy

Vanderwood.

You'd greeted everyone by name, happy and excited. You thought it'd end with Saeyoung, clasping his hands and giggling with an inside joke that surely everyone knew by now with how loud the two of you always were. Saeran would give you his cute and quiet smile and you'd fawn over him as usual. It was supposed to be a small RFA gathering at a lavish apartment - so why did Vanderwood come with them?

Even behind Saeyoung and Saeran, it felt like the former spy towered over his former partner, and his former consistent scowl was replaced by...no, that was the same. Gleeful waves and hellos floated through the air, as natural as breathing, as expected as fear from a loaded gun. Everyone seemed to know he was coming except for you.

Which had to be impossible, you were the one who organized this 'party.'

Saeyoung finally let go of your hands and stepped out of the way, ushering his baby brother away and abandoning you to the cold.

You tried to say his name again, your face breaking into a forced smile as a proper host. "Hello, Vanderwood! I didn't know - um, I'm glad you could make it."

He said nothing, nodding once and presenting you with a bottle of chilled wine, prettily wrapped with a silken bow.

"Oh, thank you! I'll go ahead and add it to the table."

"Uh, no."

"Pardon?"

Vanderwood's gaze abruptly shifted away. It was always like this between the two of you, wasn't it? Awkward, minimal. Before the fall of the Agency, he'd been strict but protective of you. Conversation mostly consisted of snippy one-liners and playful arguments. But ever since the danger left, it was...this. Once upon a time, he wouldn't hesitate to pick you up and yell at you, now eye contact was too much.

"It's not for the party."

"Oh..." The realization made your hands grip the slippery sides of the bottle. "Oh! It's a gift? For me?"

He nodded once more and you felt your face smile again - for real - as you peered over the green-and-gold bottle. You'd never seen this kind before. It looked expensive - something vintage, not from this decade or the last.

"Vandy! Come sit with me, show them the cool card shuffle you do."

As if relieved for an excuse to leave you, Vanderwood quickly and silently brushed past to join Saeyoung and the others on the sofas. You listened intently as you moved to the small kitchen to leave your New Year's gift on the counter, brushing a finger over the finely etched labels.

"Oh - is this a bridge?" said an impressed Zen.

"I've seen you do something similar," laughed Yoosung.

"What Zen did was a riffle," Jaehee hummed.

"What exactly is the difference between those?" asked Jumin.

"It's really...cool," mumbled Saeran.

"Miss Vandy can do any card shuffle," Saeyoung boasted.

Timidly, you approached the sofa to see Vanderwood making four piles of cards on the table. His hands, rough and weathered, moved gracefully to snap the piles together as if there had been no resistance. Amazing. Part of you could understand why he would learn such a thing - it was impressive, impressive enough to let someone's guard down.

"Come sit down, MC," smiled Jaehee, patting the space next to her.

"Oh, right!"

You promptly sat down, enjoying the warmth of your dear friend pressed against you. Your eyes followed Vanderwood's hands and different shuffling techniques as the magic tricks that they were. Back and forth, always quick, always precise. Beautiful hands...

A short alarm sent cheers and gasps from people's mouths. Only a few minutes left until midnight. Everyone quickly stood.

"I'll help you with the poppers!"

Yoosung hopped up to volunteer before anyone else could dare to ask.

"Oh, sure, thanks! Actually, there's enough for everyone to..."

Oh, almost everyone.

Vanderwood stared at the oversized clock on the wall that counted down the minutes and seconds left. You would've gotten one more if you knew he was coming.

You gave Yoosung three of the poppers to pass out, sending him to one side of the room while you handed out the others. Zen grinned with when her received his, Jumin gave you an endearing smile that made you blush, and Vanderwood...stared.

He didn't take it from you even as you held it out. His mouth opened then closed as he hesitated to speak. You'd rather he say nothing if he was going to always make it so painful.

"Where's...yours?" he finally managed to say.

"I'm one short. But it's fine, I'd like you to have it."

Vanderwood frowned, eyeing the small object before taking a step forward.

"Here..."

He slowly wrapped his hand around the backside, touching yours for only a moment before shifting away.

"We'll pull the string together."

"Oh...Yes, sure."

Quiet and loud counts started - with Saeyoung, then Yoosung, then Zen, then Jumin, then Jaehee...until you were smiling at the clock too. Vanderwood said nothing.

30 seconds left.

You readjusted your grip on the popper. Your hand touched Vanderwood's, neither of you moved.

20 seconds left.

Everyone got louder in their enthusiasm, even Saeran.

10 seconds left.

Vanderwood turned slightly and your eyes left the clock as you continued to count aloud. Your eyes met as you both pinched a piece of the string to pull. He was silent, but his mouth still moved in the count.

5 seconds left.

His tongue dragged across his lip, you could hear him now - in sync with you, counting into the New Year.

"0!"

The loud sound of poppers flared around the room, confetti blew everywhere, and Saeyoung and Yoosung obnoxiously blew on their party horns.

A laugh flew out of your mouth as you watched the scene unfolding - beautiful shades of gold, red, and white shimmering in the air and pooling ever so slowly to the ground. It was the most beautiful thing you'd seen in such a long time - such a perfect moment meant to be lived through and, reluctantly, not captured on your phone. Almost all of your closest friends, cheering together - you'd come so far. Further than you'd ever imagined you even needed to go.

Somewhere far away, perhaps in a different time zone, a mint-haired man and his blonde, fallen angel were reflecting on all that happened.

A finger brushed against your cheek and you startled back.

"Oh, sorry..."

Vanderwood withdrew his hand and put it behind him, as if ashamed he'd touched you. Your own hands reached up to your eyes, brushing away the tears you hadn't known were gathering there.

"I-I'm okay," you reassured him. "I'm just...really happy."

"That's good."

Vanderwood smiled. You felt your eyes widening, releasing a few of the tears you meant to sweep away. Startled again were you, perhaps in a sweeter away. You didn't remember the last time you'd seen him smile so honestly - if ever.

You should've invited him here - you should've always invited him to everything. What were you so afraid of, when he deserved to experience these timeless and priceless joys? When you _wanted_ him here?

"Vanderwood..." you gulped.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for c-coming."

"Crying again?" he frowned.

"No! No, I'm..."

You would always look back to this moment, wondering what the hell you were thinking - when you pulled his hand away from his back, when you brought it back to your face, when you cried happy tears on the most impossible New Year's celebration of your life in the arms of a man you thought would never embrace you.

But you'd never regret it.

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